Outsiders Looking In
by ColdDecemberNight
Summary: Nightwing and Artemis are going undercover to the pre-coronation party for the new Markovian leader but discover that the meta-human trafficking operation isn't their main problem. With Count Vertigo assassinated, someone else is lurking in the shadows and they are caught in the crossfires of a dangerous plan. Will their complex relationship finally reach a conclusion?


Star City 3:30p.m

"Who are you here to recruit this time?" Roy Harper gave a bemused look at the dark-haired man who shot Artemis a cheeky grin from the front door. Artemis rolled her eyes playfully and continued eating her cereal. She hadn't spent much time working with Dick over the past two years since he left the team. He had gone to Bludhaven to embrace his mantle as the guardian of the city while she assumed a new identity- Tigress, to distance herself from the painful memories that her old identity bore, a stain that couldn't be removed no matter how hard you tried to wash it off. They were good friends but communication between them gradually decreased due to their respective commitments and hectic schedules so seeing him turn up at her doorstep was a pleasant surprise.

"Well, definitely not the cutie pie over there," Dick grinned and gestured at the little toddler who shared the same shade of hair as her father. Roy sighed and craned his neck behind. "Hey Artemis, looks like Dick wants to borrow you for another one of his whimsical plans. Try not to form another super-team without me this time," he called dryly as Artemis scowled at him.

"Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about the mess little Lian is making with her mush," Artemis ruffled her hair and pushed past Roy to meet Dick outside. She folded her arms and looked him up and down. He certainly had grown taller and broader from the last time she saw him without his costume. His azure eyes still held that serious gaze with a mischievous twinkle that used to give her butterflies in her stomach.

" Hey Dick, long time no see but I'm guessing you didn't come here to join me for a bowl of fruit loops and milk. So spill, what's the missions about?" she cracked a small smile.

Dick grinned sheepishly and scratched his head. " It's not always about work when I drop by to see you."

"Agreed. Only because you never drop by!" she snorted back.

He laughed and his visage morphed into a serious one as he brought out his tablet and started explaining the details of the mission to her. "We're heading to Markovia to investigate a serious of meta-human trafficking related to children. I took out one of their warehouses in Moscow but just as I thought, there seems to be a global syndicate behind the operation and we need to shut them down before anyone else loses their lives."

Artemis looked grim and looked up at him. "I'm definitely in. Just thinking about it pisses me off. I couldn't imagine if someone used Jade as a guinea pig for their sick experiments although that probably would never happen," she pointed out.

"We've got to pick up Superboy and Black Lightning to complete the team. Let's meet at the Gotham park tonight to discuss the plan," Dick nodded and walked towards his car. He took a few steps forward before spinning around. " Hey Artemis! I almost forgot to ask you something"

She paused and cocked her head in curiosity. "How old is your daughter? She looks to be at least 3 to 4 years of age," Dick smiled warmly as Artemis blinked slowly before a wave of realisation hit her. She proceeded to choke and grimace.

"And you call yourself the city's greatest detective? Geez Dick, if Roy Harper was my husband, he wouldn't be sporting a beard that rivals the Neanderthals. Plus, that's my niece and not my daughter!" she exclaimed as Dick's eyes widened.

" Hold up Mis, you're telling me that Roy and your sister….are married?" he whispered as she smacked him lightly on the head.

"They aren't married dummy. Stop presuming things."

"So…it was a night of passion and debauchery?" Dick whistled as Artemis wrinkled her nose and shooed him away.

" You can call it that but I do not need a mental image of my sister's raunchy escapades thank you very much. This conversation is over until 6pm," Artemis rubbed her temples and went back into the house. Dick chuckled to himself. "Yeah, I guess it was pretty stupid of me to think that she married Roy when she hasn't even gotten over Wally yet. Plus, there is no way in hell that Roy would be able to seduce her or anybody for that matter."

"As if you're any better Grayson. I heard that Zatanna dumped you because your idea of date night was chasing drunken criminals in the back-alley of Bludhaven. I may not be married but I did convince a ruthless assassin to have a kid with me so stick that up your ass," Roy grinned from the window and waved at him.

Artemis did not change much physically over the last two years but she took on a more serious personality, probably due to the trauma of Wally's passing. He heard that she enrolled in Gotham University to pursue a Masters in physics and that impressed him. Juggling time between her duties as Tigress and studies was no easy feat as he could attest to it. It was great that she decided to move in with Roy and Lian because she needed company and most importantly, family. Roy had all but hung up his cape as Red Arrow and he had been trying to convince Artemis to do the same but she knew that she belonged on the battlefield as long as she had the capacity to fight.

Gotham Park 5:30p.m

Prying Connor away from Megan and convincing a broken Jeff to join his crusade was difficult but he managed to pull it off fortunately. He sat down on a bench in Gotham Park as he awaited the arrival of his teammates when someone tried to scare him from behind.

"Boo!"

Dick caught his breath and bawled his fist but dropped it as Artemis' grinning face came into light. "I thought you lost your sense of humour years ago," he scooted over and allowed her to sit next to him.

"You thought wrong, boy wonder. My humour and wit is a part of my personality. Some friend you are if you don't even know that," she mock scoffed and grabbed the tablet from his hands. "I'm guessing that this is our plan for Markovia?"

Her eyes scanned the lines plastered on the tablet and narrowed as she pointed to a specific bullet point that contained her name in bold. "It says her that I'm supposed to dress up to the nines for some coronation party. Don't you realise how troublesome it is to dress up and dress down when we have to change into our costumes?"

"Well yes but the first half of the plan is all about maintaining a low profile and infiltrating the building. I already told you that it's a mission without the costumes to avoid blowing our cover," he said firmly.

"It also says here that I'm your date for the evening and that I should put on a decently convincing act," she continued.

Dick frowned and snatched it back. "Obviously, we're posing as a glitzy couple from Gotham. Have you never been on an undercover mission like this before? "

Her momentary pause vindicated him and he grinned and nudged her playfully. "On the bright side, I finally get to see you wearing something aside from your varsity sweater and joggers." She batted him away and grumbled about make-up and dresses as he welcomed the arrival of Connor and Jeff.

"Artemis and I will fly commercially from Vlatava to Markovia under false passports so while Connor and Jeff fly the super cycle under the radar and over the border with our gear, Artemis and I will scope out major players using hacked invitations to Prince Gregor's pre-coronation reception," Dick explained to the three of them. The plan was pretty straightforward- Artemis and him would investigate the palace while Conor and Jeff would investigate the children's hospital on the outskirts of the city.

" Artemis and I are going back to my place to get ready so you guys go ahead and we'll catch up once we're done." Dick waved them off as the both of them walked back to his apartment. " It would have been nice to round the team up again but this mission isn't affiliated with the league nor the team. We're pretty much on our own for backup because we can't risk tarnishing the league's image any further with intervention in political affairs," he continued and slowly unlocked the door.

" On a side note, welcome to my humble abode and you should be honoured. You're just the second girl that I've opened the door to," he grinned and chose a black tuxedo with a navy cummerbund to match. Artemis looked around slowly and admired how pristine it was for a bachelor's pad. "I feel special. So, who was the first? Zatanna? Donna?" Artemis flopped down on his couch and kicked her feet up onto the footrest.

"Wrong and wrong Artemis. It was actually Barbara who stopped by to hand me some documents for a case. On the contrary to what you may think, I don't usually welcome people here. It's my safe space and I don't think just any girl should have the liberty of trespassing," he laughed and began sliding his T-shirt off his back.

She couldn't help but admire his back muscles and the taut abdominal muscles that were perfectly chiselled. Seeing Dick half-naked wasn't a big deal as she used to see it all the time during missions but it felt different tonight- probably because she was lounging in his apartment. He carefully placed his tuxedo into his luggage and turned off the lights.

"Your apartment is sparse but practical although it's missing something," Artemis approved as they hailed a taxi to take them to the airport.

"Oh? Like a woman's touch? You're not volunteering, are you? I can't really say yes to that because I've never been inside your room, even back at Mount Justice," he mused.

"Oh trust me, Dick, my creativity knows no bounds. You've seen my house- that should be good proof of my taste in decorations," she rolled her eyes. Dick opened his mouth but closed it as he realised that he was about to mention Wally. He remembered when Wally and him spent the entire day shopping at Ikea for table covers that matched the pastel walls of the house. Artemis preferred teal satin but Wally opted for light orange which Dick preferred too.

Markovia Airport 9:00pm

The immigration officer looked suspiciously at them while carefully flipping the pages of their passports. "Mr and Mrs. Grayson, state your purpose and duration of stay," he eyed them. Artemis clutched his arm fondly and rested her head against his shoulder. "My wife and I are here for a vacation and we'll be staying for three nights. I couldn't refuse her request to take her to an exotic country," Dick grinned and slipped his arm around her waist. Artemis involuntarily snuggled closer to him as she felt comfortable in his grasp. The officer pursed his lips and continued scrutinising the duo.

"If you're married, why isn't she wearing any sort of ring and you don't look like newlyweds either- this is coming from a newlywed himself. Plus, who spends just three nights in Markovia, one of the most beautiful countries in eastern Europe," the officer narrowed his eyes. "Something fishy is going on here."

Dick sighed loudly internally but kept his cool. He glanced at Artemis who glared back at him and tiptoed up to place a soft kiss on his lips. Dick was momentarily stunned but Artemis folded her arms at the officer and gave a big smile. "My engagement ring is kept in the bank as I don't wear it whenever I travel abroad and believe me, we'll be acting like newlyweds in our hotel tonight. We've just been jetlagged," Artemis smirked as Dick decided to hold her hand once more.

The officer grumbled and let them through as Dick heaved a sigh of relief. " You didn't have to kiss me but that was good acting," Artemis briefly touched her lips and averted her gaze from his. "It was necessary to fool him but don't worry, you didn't taste very nice, boy wonder. I could taste the pasta you had for dinner," she chuckled and got into the taxi. Dick coughed in embarrassment. "I'll remember to ingest a few breath mints next time."

"Next time? What do you mean by that?" she yawned. " I'm certainly not kissing you again."

" Because of my pasta breath?"

She paused. "Well, it's because there isn't any need to. We aren't lovers Dick so why should there be a next time?"

Four Seasons Hotel Markovia 9:30p.m

Dick was about to refute her statement but he remained silent instead. She had a point but he couldn't forget how soft her lips were. He was curious about the taste of her lips too. He figured that she would taste like strawberry since her chap stick was of that flavour. He shook his head quickly to dispel any unwanted thoughts and quickly paid the driver. "We've got twenty minutes to look like a million dollars. Think you can handle it?" he mused. She emptied her bag onto the bed and laughed.

"Too easy. You're forgetting that I don't use make-up like any other average girl. It's bad for your skin and messes up during fights. Give me ten and we'll be ready to hit the party."

Dick adjusted his cummerbund and combed his hair with his fingers. He hated to admit it but he cleaned up pretty well in his tux but he was more curious to see how she would turn out. Artemis wasn't the most feminine girl around and her wardrobe spoke volumes besides her belligerent personality. "I'm thinking that you're going for an androgynous look with a pocket square to top it off," he called from outside.

"If you're wrong, you owe me a drink, Dick and don't think that it's an empty promise," she hummed and slowly opened the bathroom door. She smoothed her dress and bit her lower lip slightly as she felt the cool breeze kiss against the opening of flesh presented by the thigh high slit of her navy dress. "Dressing up was always a bitch for me so go on, tell me that I look like a socialite who just had a quickie in one of the bathroom stalls," she grumbled and tugged at the hem of her dress.

" Dick? Earth to Nightwing?" she looked expectantly at him.

Dick felt his mouth go dry as he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat the moment she emerged from the bathroom. She looked beautiful in the navy dress that complimented her bronzed skin and blonde locks. The minimal jewellery accentuated her exotic features especially her hazel eyes and the slit on her dress was just enough to make his blood boil and not stir up his primal instincts.

"I guess I owe you that drink, Artemis. You look…beautiful," he smiled sincerely at her much to her surprise and embarrassment.

Oh, that smile of his caused her heart to skip a beat and she punched him on the shoulder lightly to try and break the sexual tension in the room that was thickening. "How many times have you used that line on a woman, Grayson? I bet you say that to all the girls you want to sleep with," she teased him lightly but her smile waned as he didn't seem to share the same joke. He shook his head and patted her on the back. "Very few and there's a difference between calling a woman pretty and beautiful. I've called heaps of women pretty because that's the only redeeming quality about them- their looks. Calling a woman beautiful means that when I look at you, I go crazy thinking about you. Seeing your feminine side like this just reminds me why I'm crazy about you," he paused as her shocked face painted a thousand words.

"A line from a movie I once watched. Pretty smooth huh? I nearly got you there," Dick laughed lightly, hoping to diffuse the awkward feeling in the room and Artemis breathed a sigh of relief as she decided to play along too. "

"It was cheesy as hell Dick. Sorry that I'm not one of your simpering girls that go weak at the knees for corny pick-up lines. Try that on Zatanna and she'll come running back," Artemis grinned and looped her arm around his. " Now come on partner, we've got a party to crash."

The both of them walked arm in arm in silence as neither of them wanted to admit the can of worms that they opened. The sexual tension between them was always palpable and it got especially dangerous when she kept hanging out at his place after Wally's death. It was completely platonic but the more time he spent with her, the harder he fell for her but he tried to discard any thoughts of that because he respected his friendship with Wally and placed it higher than hooking up with his ex. Artemis thought differently although she couldn't deny the attraction between Dick and her. She wanted to jump him as soon as she saw him in that tux but she kept telling herself that any female would appreciate how good he looked in it and she wasn't the only one. Plus, she couldn't get with him- he was her leader and in her eyes, he was still Nightwing to her, even off the battlefield.

"Artemis, about what I said earlier," Dick finally broke the silence.

"Hm?" Artemis gripped his arm tighter and continued staring into the distance.

"I apologise. As your leader, I shouldn't have breached professional conduct especially since we're on a mission. Please disregard everything that I said," he said firmly much to her disappointment.

She stopped in her tracks and nodded silently." Let's forget it ever happened but before that, just answer one question for me please."

She took a deep breath and turned to face him. "This might seem crazy but Dick, do you have feelings for me?"

"Of course not. We're good friends and nothing more. The only man in your life should be Wally," he squeezed her shoulder. He wasn't lying to her- he didn't love her but he definitely felt something strong for her.

"Damn right. I can't imagine being your girlfriend and putting up with your shit anyway," she replied distantly as he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She felt like they were an actual couple but it was impossible. Dick probably preferred drop dead gorgeous socialites and heiresses over a blonde tomboy who spent her free time at the archery range.

"Funny but I can actually imagine being your boyfriend," he threw caution to the wind.

" Oh yeah? And what can you see in your crystal ball, Merlin?" she pressed the button for the elevator.

"Happiness," he replied simply as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. Gosh, who knew dressing up like this had such an effect on Dick. Maybe she should do this more often.

"Despair too," she said quickly.

"We're in character, now right? So maybe I should start addressing you as Mrs. Grayson," he smirked much to her annoyance.

"Ugh, you're doing it again. I can't tell if you mean it or not," she complained and pinched him much to his amusement.

The walk to his car was another brief moment of silence but Artemis could tell that something was off. It wasn't about their constant flirting anymore- she could feel a pair of eyes on her. She stole a glance at Dick who wore an emotionless expression and reached for his car keys in the pocket of his trousers.

"On my count, we get down," he murmured and held her closer to him. Artemis nodded silently and took a deep breath as he slowly unlocked the door.

"Get down!" he pushed her to the ground as the faint whistle of a bullet cutting through the air rang in their ears and wedged itself comfortably in the door of the sports car. "A sniper? Looks like someone is trying to put a hole between our eyes," Dick crouched down and removed his jacket.

"If only I had my bow and quiver, I would have skewered him by now," Artemis cursed as another bullet whizzed millimetres past her face, leaving a small laceration on her cheek.

Dick quickly tore off his cummerbund and dabbed at the wound. " We need to lure him out because we'll end up dead if we just keep sitting here. We're sitting ducks if we don't keep moving because our assailant is no ordinary killer," he peeked over his shoulder.

"Oh, he's not the only one that you have to worry about lover boy," he heard someone purr before pushing Artemis out of the way. Dick grunted as cold steel perforated the flesh on his shoulder with a burning sensation. He sent a roundhouse kick towards the mystery assailant who neatly dodged it and sent him reeling with a kick to the ribs. He winced as he slowly extracted the knife from his shoulder and tossed it onto the side.

"Get the fuck away from him!" Artemis growled and tackled the assailant onto the ground.

" Artemis! Get away from her! I think her weapons are poisoned," Dick struggled to get up as his vision began to get blurry.

Artemis and the assailant engaged in hand-to hand combat as each strike was perfectly countered with a block respectively. Artemis grit her teeth and tried to sweep her off the ground with a sweeping hook to her ankles but the assailant did a neat little backward somersault. The blonde superhero's hazel eyes twinkled as she ran towards her and anticipated a strike with her blade before striking her across the face with the base of her high heel. Artemis seized the opportunity and sent her tumbling with a punch to the side of her face. The assailant crumpled onto the floor and rubbed her head as the street lights illuminated the two figures. Her eyes widened as she recognised a familiar face.

" You…Why are you here?" Artemis stammered as clenched her fists and held the hooded figure by the collar.

"It's been a while sister. Is that any way to greet your loving sister who is trying to spend a relaxing vacation by the Markovian sea?" Cheshire hummed and sent Artemis reeling as a cloud of sleeping gas enveloped her face courtesy of her white Kabuki mask.

"Artemis!" Dick yelled as he stumbled across the parking lot, in a vain attempt to reach her. "Fuck, I've been poisoned heaps of times so why is my body shutting down so quickly this time?" he mentally cursed himself as he bawled his fists and swung a punch at Cheshire who calmly caught it and dropped him to his feet with a right hook. He slumped to the floor and closed his eyes.

Artemis felt her mind fogging and she was losing consciousness quickly. She pinched her forearm hard and closed the distance between Cheshire and herself. "Answer my damn question before I beat you senseless. Why are you here?" she yelled as the masked assassin cocked her head and gave a small shrug, further infuriating the blonde archer.

"I'm afraid that the answer you seek is with the boss," Bane emerged from the shadows and gave her an oily smile as Artemis narrowed her eyes and ran to Dick. " Dick, please wake up. I need you to stay with me," she shook him frantically but to no avail. She stroked his cheek softly and tripped the hem of her dress off to bandage his bleeding shoulder. "If you kill him, I'll never forgive you, Cheshire. I will not hesitate to put an arrow between your eyes," Artemis told her sister calmly.

Cheshire sighed and waved her hand. " I didn't kill him so don't get your panties in a twist. My blade was laced with a harmless sedative but instead of worrying about little birdie, you should be worrying about how you're going to handle all of us," she chuckled as Artemis whirled around to find that she was surrounded by a dangerous group of supervillains- Cheshire, Bane, Deadshot, King Shark and Captain Boomerang. Artemis felt beads of sweat form around her forehead but she kept her composure and stood up.

"I didn't know the Famous Five created problems instead of solving them," she said sarcastically as Captain Boomerang gave a horse laugh. "Check out this sheila, she's like a kangaroo loose in a top paddock. Mouthing at us when she's about to get slaughtered like a lamb."

"We're the Secret Six and it doesn't matter if you remember the name or not because we have orders to eliminate both Nightwing and you," Deadshot aimed his gun towards her head.

"Last time I checked, there were only five of you. I guess you should have thought about that first before coming up with a name as anti-climatic as this fight," Artemis sneered back.

Cheshire glanced at her colleagues before letting a chuckle escape her lips. "We're here for the same reason you are. To investigate the meta-human trafficking syndicate in Markovia. Our boss found out that one of our former colleagues was at the helm of it and decided that it was in his best interest to eliminate him."

Artemis' eyes widened in shock. "Your boss ordered you to kill one of your own because he was in the way of some grand plan? Have you no conscience?" she stared at Cheshire who shrugged. "We're mercenaries not family. If there's a way to make an extra buck, we would gladly do it."

"Spoken like a true professional," a familiar figure clapped slowly and emerged from a limousine. "Boss, Count Vertigo has been eliminated as requested," Deadshot informed him calmly.

"Good work Floyd and company. Glad to know that he wasn't a problem for all of you," Lex Luthor averted his gaze towards the slumping Artemis and unconscious Dick. Artemis narrowed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. "If you're going to kill us, do it already," she muttered.

Lex chuckled and stroked his chin. " You obviously have no idea what's going on do you? I have a good reason to let the both of you live because how do you think the country of Vlatava would react if they found out that the Justice League was 'responsible' for the murder of Count Vertigo on Markovian soil, on the night of the pre-inauguration party for the new Markovian regent. In addition to the meta-human laboratories in Markovia, I'm sure the UN would have something to say about Markovia colluding with the League."

"Go to hell, Luthor. The UN will never believe this crazy accusation," Artemis slurred as her eyelids slowly closed before the world engulfed her in darkness.

He gestured to Cheshire and waved the rest of the team away. "Dump the two of them on a boat to Vlatava."

"Deadshot, make sure you and the rest eliminate Superboy and Black Lightning because we don't need any unnecessary distractions. I'm sure that Artemis and Nightwing would be welcomed by the government of Vlatava," Lex took one last look at the two heroes before driving off into the night.

"Some romantic evening this turned out to be huh?" Dick murmured and squeezed her hand weakly before letting his mind succumb to the wave of pain and pleasure that washed over him beneath the starry night.

A/N What will happen to Dick and Artemis? What has Lex Luthor have planned for the League and the country of Markovia? Stay tuned and hopefully you guys enjoyed this story so please let me know what you think by leaving some feedback or shooting me a message if you would like to have a chat about the show in general.


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